In my last year of college I realized one of my friends had a very serious problem. The effects came about so slowly and gradually I hardly noticed them. Changes to his vocabulary, lifestyle and appearance were endearing at first, quarks that I chalked up to personal evolution. It wasn't until his grades started to slide and he stopped hanging out that I realized how serious his addiction was and quite frankly, by then it was almost too late. My friend was a full fledged addict. His vice, W.O.W.

Some of you are somberly shaking your head in understanding, while others are wondering what terrible chemical concoction so dwarfs all others that it's actually described as WOW! W.O.W. stands for World of Warcraft. The most addicting and time consuming role playing video game ever made. It has literally ruined lives. Funny? Yes. But then it's funny because it's true.

As a social media manager I've been trying to critically analyze Twitter. How should I approach it, how do people engage, where will it's future lie? It was during this obviously invaluable research that it hit me. Twitter is a Role Playing Networking Game. It has all the attributes, engagement and effects that W.O.W. or Final Fantasy have. (and we haven't even seen the expansion pack!)

So I decided to make a list. (Lists are the most viral and popular type of social media blogs. I'm already questioning the value of my previous paragraphs absent the designation of a number or criteria.) 5 Signs Twitter is a Role Playing Networking Game

1) You Create a Character- This is what others would confuse with "account creation" but I know better. Picking an avatar, designing a page, writing a bio. These don't portray who we are, they portray who we want to be. Everything, right down to the account name, is about portraying an image. Anybody with one good picture and the ability to write a 2 sentence bio can be whoever their tweeting heart desires.

2) There's a point system- For some of you more sophisticated twitterers followers might not matter. But, for the vast majority of users they're the critical benchmark by which legitimacy is judged. You may be a successful real estate mogul with ten houses but if you only have ten followers you're basically a twoser. (I think that means loser on twitter)

3) You need tools/weapons to win- Just like the dorky spells, swords and armor used on W.O.W. our characters need tools to triumph on twitter. For us they take the form of third party apps but the idea is the same. Tweetlater, tweepular and the ultimate twitter weapon the all powerful tweetdeck, they're all just weapons we use to build the reputation of our online persona and safely navigate the world of twitter.

4) It has it's own language- When my buddy started talking about paladins, wizards, guilds and hordes I should have known there was a problem. Twitter is no better. Uncommon uses of words like follow and tweet have evolved into a full blown (and moronic) language including such gems as twitterlebrity, twibes and twollow.

5) Addiction- The same all consuming addiction that characterizes the most successful W.O.W. players is clearly evident on the accounts of some of our most successful twitter users. Hundreds of @ replies, retweets and updates. Strings of comments unleashed seconds apart and a timeline that reveals their 24 hour engagement. Mobile or otherwise these users are never disconnected.

The final step that occurs with any serious addiction is burnout. For W.O.W. this meant many lucky addicts selling their characters for sometimes thousand of dollars. A similar fate may await many of the most popular twitter accounts.

So, can twitter ultimately become more than just a game but a world changing communications tool? I hope so. But, in the mean time I'm investing in a twitter rehabilitation retreat; The Twetty Tword Center.